(((("Jeanne-in-Canada"))))

I'm very interested in the Natural Methods you have used in your treatment and fight against this DD, (CFIDS/FMS)!

I too am a big believer in Natural Cures and living as Chemical Free as one can be. I am studying to get my Cetification as a Natural Health Consultant, I also eat and live Macrobioticaly and Organic as much as I can.

It is very expensive, I agree, I have been ill for about 12 yrs now. Became sick after my 3rd C-Section. I developed a post operative infection, that started the ball rolling.....soon all kinds of strange symptoms started manifesting themselves, slowly at first, then one day, WHAM! I dropped like a ton of bricks. Of course back then docs and everyone else had no clue what was wrong with me, and if they can't see it, it doesn't exist!!!

I became housebound, sometimes bed ridden, had to raise 3 children, husband was a jerk, and left me, wanted sex all the time, said I was frigid and crazy! He was very abusive anyways. Lost all my friends, estranged from what relatives I have. Have had to survive on Welfare and what small amount of money I can make selling my crafts.

I would love for us to compare stories and cures, what works for you, what works for me. Also how your experience is with the Ontario Health System? I really need a Canadian connection right now, would you be interested in emailing or pen pal.

I have been considering moving to Ontario, the political situation here in Quebec is getting out of hand. Plus this whole language thing is freaking me out. Doctors here are so ignorant, and if your English, you get treated like a piece of s_ _ T! They know nothing here, and I have been Doctor hopping for to long!!! Getting to the point of just giving up. I also have, S.A.D and panic disorder. Was treated for secondary depression....or so they say??????

There are quite a few Canucks on here, about 6 just around Ottawa where I am too.

Good on you that you are taking nutrition courses, mine have been invaluable. I had hopes of practicing in home one day too, but I lost the ability to focus hard enough to study, so couldn't graduate and get the full diploma. Used to really bug me, but the knowledge is there and I've used it many times over.

Guess I'm rusty, not sure what a macrobiotic diet is, and too lazy to look it up. Thought is was a beyond vegan type of thing, but you say you eat mostly vegetarian, so there must be meat or dairy involved too.

Everyone is different, there are some good sites, just google. I'll give you an example of how I eat.

You don't have to follow everything in the macrobiotic life style, some of the foods are hard to find here in Canada, not to mention it can become expensive. Also it is a way of life and a state of mind.

I have eliminated all whites from my diet: sugar, flour, rice pasta, ect. I increas my FRESH FRUIT (no cans) intake to 10-12 servings per day, FRESH VEGGIES 10-12 servings per day, mostly raw or lightly stir fried with extra virgin olive oil, flax seed. Raw nuts and seeds, dried fruit is ok as a snack, I don't eat cereal, at all, no bread at all, this means, bagles....all the way to pizza, No junk food AT ALL, no cakes, cookies, muffins, candy of any kind, no chocolate(that one was hard) no cola, no juice(only organic) no french fries, no potatos, no hot dogs, hamburgers....ect. I have only organic meat twice per month and only boiled, like chicken, turkey, pork,(I have replace my meat with tofu and other sources) I have replaced bread with brown rice cakes(organic) they make great pizzas, I eat only probiotic yogurt (organic) same for cheese. Milk 1% and organic.

Yoga, meditation, visualization, pranic breathing. I do not smoke, drink alcohol or take any chemicals what so ever.
Oh ya lots of water, pure water, not tap (6-8 glasses per day) lots of herb teas. Mostly green. I make a habit of going to bed at the same time every night and getting up at the same time every day, no matter what. Oh ya no caffine!!!!!! That was the hardest thing for me!

I have been living this way for about 2 yrs now, the changes are very visable, starting with my skin, it has an antiaging component of some kind. Also I lost 25lbs in just 3 months. Without feeling any of it. I've never looked better!! Maybe that's why the F_ _ King doctors won't believe I'm in pain and sick!!!!!! Go figure, I find the fountain of youth so I can look good while I'm sick??????? But I have to admit, I am 5 times better than I was 6yrs ago, that's for sure!

Of course there is more to macrobiotic living than what I have just written, it's just it would take to long to post it all.

I had to laugh at the irony of one of your statements about eating in season and how some macrobiotic foods are hard to find in Canada.

I certainly don't follow such a strict regiment. I have a really aversion to super restrictive diets, and as a nutritionist, try not inflict them on anyone,unless it's totally unavoidable just for a period of recovery. This is because I've had to be on some because I once had many severe food sensitivities and it drove me batty to be so restricted, esp. given that so much of my life had been forced away from me by FM and even more so by MCS.

Anyway, the funny irony for me is that if you are following a diet of "in season", which is partly for seasonaly biorhythms and partly for ancestral predisposition (ie. eat right for your blood type) then if the food isn't available in Canada, it ain't really macrobiotic, for you personally.

Not sure if you get my point (and wry sense of haha), but macrobiotic should mean different foods to people in different parts of the world. In Hawaii people would need many cooling food, in Canada, when it's colder than a witch's t*t we need warming food. The concept of cooling and warming foods is an Ayurvedic concept, and a great one I noticed, but I would think macrobiotic would incorporate this to an extent, no?

I'm glad that I was able to make you laugh with my irony????
I have to admit, you seem a little agressive, did I say something to upset you? If I've made a mistake in the discription of macrobiotic eating, then I am sorry. I am not always the best when it comes to typing and I do leave things out, or things don't come out as I wanted them to.

You seem to have a very good grasp of macrobiotic eating, not many people know about Ayurveda, which gives me a sense that maybe I was baited.

I was hoping you wouldn't be put off w/ my forthrightness, and difference in diet and lifestyle. I was actually toning it down a tad. Aggressive? I suppose some would think so. I'm just not a shy person and have the typical french bluntness. And did you offend me at all? Nope, not a bit, I'm well aware of the situation in Quebec and it makes me sad, all the friction between the french and english. I'm not from there myself, was actually raised in BC in the english Canadian culture, but genes are genes and they leave their mark no matter how or what language you are raised in.

I actually don't have much of a grasp of macrobiotic, mostly what you gave me. I didn't delve into it much, but having the nutritional background does tend to make one a quicker study. And I was drawing parallels to Ayurvedic, that I wasn't positive were correct, but seemed plausible to me, and I guess you just confirmed. I certainly wouldn't bait you. Our energy is much too precious, and often too spare, to make someone waste it.

We are going to have some really different ideas and lifestyles that we cleave to to match our personal situation. So brace yourself, you might gasp at some of my lifestyle choices. I've acheived alot of recovery through diet, exercise, supps, but very differently than you have.

Good to know that everything is A.O.K.!
Feel much better now that's clear. I agree with you 100%.
and yes the situation here in Quebec is not a very positive one and makes people very insecure and scared (ENGLISH,that is). I am trying very hard to find a better way of life, a kinder a more peaceful place to live.

I guess being sick for so long has taken it's toll and I have no defenses left. I always feel like a target (victim), I'm very sensitive and take it upon myself to be the people pleaser, always trying not to upset anyone, it can zap my energy as well.

Quebec is not a CFIDS/FMS friendly enviornment. I think that's part of why I went the extra mile to help heal myself because no one else seems interested or cares?! Though I am far from being healed, I am much better than a couple of yrs ago when getting out of bed required assistance.

Any information that you could pass on to me would be greatly appreciated.